Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, handed the petition to the NACC following a report that Preecha owned a large, unnumbered house in Phitsanulok that remains undeclared. Preecha reasoned that construction of the house had not yet been completed.

Srisuwan said that the house should have been included in Preecha’s declaration to the NACC by October 30, a month after his retirement from the Defence Ministry, as designated in the 1999 Counter Corruption Act.

He also doubted whether the younger brother of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should have unusual wealth, noting that the Phitsanulok house looked rather elegant despite Preecha being a retired military officer who would have received a salary of around Bt10 million throughout his service.

If Preecha was found to have failed to declare his assets, the NACC should file the case to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for further prosecution, he said. The NACC could also temporarily confiscate the retired general’s assets while waiting for the court’s ruling, he added.

The petition was received by the NACC’s deputy secretary general Yongyuth Malithong, who said that the commission would need to investigate first before ordering any seizure.

Preecha had responded to the previous report on Tuesday, explaining that he planned to declare the house to the NACC a year after his retirement, the third phase of asset declaration as designated by law, and had no intention of concealing it from the NACC.

The house, meant to be Preecha’s family abode, has just been given its number this month and was located on one-and-a-half-rai plot, not five rai as earlier reported, he said.

The land was purchased in 2011 and the house construction started three years later. It was now 90 per complete, he added.

Preecha further explained that the house was bought from his savings and inheritance money, and was not at all extravagant. “There are just empty rooms like those in normal houses,” the National Legislative Assembly member said. “I also live like an ordinary person, like going to the market and doing household chores by myself.

Referring to a series of controversies on alleged nepotism his family has faced, Preecha added: “This kind of scandal makes me sick. I don’t understand why they have to dig things out from my sons, my wife, and now my house.”

Both he and Prayut refused to comment on each other’s issues.